ONE NIGHT HUSBAND

SUNDAY 2 NOVEMBER AT 1:10PM UGC SHAFTESBURY AVE SCREEN 1

Country Thailand Running Time 135 mins Format 35mm Director/Screenplay Pimpaka Towira Producer Mingmokul Sonakul DoP Christoph Janetzko Cast Nicole Theriault, Siriyakorn Pukkaves Print Source GMM PicturesE gmmp@gmmgrammy.com

GMM Pictures is the Bangkok movie studio responsible for such recent Asian chart-toppers as Mekhong Fullmoon Party and Beautiful Boxer. Impressed by the screenplay of this film, they gave Towira a modest budget of Bt 14 million to shoot this impressive debut in order to add reputation and critical acclaim to its already hefty box office.

A newly wed bride awakes from her wedding night to find her husband gone. As she begins her journey to find him, she discovers much more about her husband than she knew - much of it unsavoury. She enlists the help of his brother and his abused wife, and the search for the missing groom becomes a character study of the two women and the changes and challenges facing the traditional Thai way of life. Shot by an experimental cinematographer who, unusually, makes extensive use of a telephoto lens, the film allows the audience to spy on the characters, creating a tenderness and intimacy rarely seen.

One Night Husband is a thriller with a huge dose of human drama thrown in. It is a fascinating character study of modern Thai women, but is not a feminist film: just a compelling and touching human story. EG

Pimpaka Towira has worked as a pioneer in Thailand's independent film scene since the early 1990s. She has made a number of award winning shorts, has worked as a film critic, journalist, film festival programmer and film lecturer. Since she made One Night Husband, her feature debut, she has caught the eye of English-speaking producers.